The emergence of work-related pressure in pre-service teachers’ identity co-construction through visual narratives

This study focuses on work-related pressure emerging in pre-service teachers' identity co-construction through visual narratives. Five Finnish pre-service primary school teachers engaged in identity co-construction involving narrative and arts-based activities. Analysis of the visual narratives and the conversations they elicited revealed three sources of pressure: 1) the work environment and the expectation of “being everything to everyone,” 2) the expectation of continuous self-development, and 3) the challenge of being in the public eye. The findings demonstrate that work-related pressure complicates pre-service teachers’ identity construction and leads some to question their decision to pursue the teaching profession. The implications of these findings on teacher education are discussed. • Pre-service teachers engaged in identity co-construction through visual narratives. • The sources of pre-service teachers' work-related pressure are explored. • Work-related pressure complicates the process of teacher identity construction. • Space for navigating the work-related pressure in teacher education is needed. • Visual narratives help pre-service teachers co-construct their identities.